Gabriel Shadowdrake
Gabriel Shadowdrake is a mercenary employed by the Ranger-Captain Vaelrin Firestorm. Few words have been spoken about his past or where he originated from, but it is implied he played a part in the Captain's past. The only thing most know is he is the Captain's Shadow. If there is a matter of personal business to be done by the Captain, he is often the one called upon to perform such tasks. While his original directive was to keep himself separate from affairs of The Sunguard he found himself drawn to a few individuals in particular and has become a familiar face amongst them. Appearance Clad mostly in dark leathers with a pair of twin swords strapped to his back, Gabriel appears to be ever the mysterious figure, especially with the matching dark mask covering his face. What is hidden below it, the hints of which peak out from the top of the cloth, are three scars starting just below his right eye and extending all the way down to his jawline. Perhaps the oddest and most catching of him are the pair of grey colored eyes, which speak of no hints of magical use or otherwise. The ebon hair which spills over his shoulders is often tied back into a high ponytail to keep out of his face. Even tied back, his hair spills over in a messy wave and usually appears hardly tamed. While his ears appear to hold little decoration, there are faint signs of past piercings in the lobes. When speaking, his tone is often sharp or indifferent depending on the present company. There are also signs of a life at sea in the words he often slips in using such as 'ye' instead of 'you', usually compared to the way sailors often talk. This could also be attributed to his time spent around the Captain who often uses such a tongue. Caution is often given in his words when he is speaking business, and while he often maintains a silent approach, he can be easily poked to anger given the right prods. What skin was once sun-kissed under the sun in the days of sailing had paled in some fashion with his take to the shadows in years before. Even as he has more reason to be seen, his skin is slowly returning to the sun-kissed color it had been. Only on rare occasion is he ever seen without his array of dark leathers and especially the mask covering his features. Some notable habits of his are drumming his fingers upon a surface while in thought, gaze drifting from the current scene, or crossing his arms in some fashion. History Early Life & The Everdawn Born to the noble house of Everdawn off the coast of Eversong Woods, Gabriel's birth name is actually Leo'ren Everdawn. He is the second child of four and the first born son of his father's line. Upon his birth, his father, Faedryn Everdawn, began to groom his first son for lordship at a young age. Most of his days were spent in studies with various tutors and professors in order to prepare him for such a role. While the young mage wished to make his father proud, he would often spend some of his days in study looking out the window to the sea outside and wishing to be free from his books. His elder sister, Lillae Everdawn, knew of his desire and would often make up little lies to free her brother from his prison. They would often spend their time along the seashore, letting hours drift by as they collected seashells and made up stories of what other worlds could be across the sea. This would be the spawn of his desires to see across the sea, at the disapproval of his father, who regarded such things as silly nonsense. His mother, Calarel Everdawn, on the other hand, was very much like her own daughter and would even sneak stories of piratey adventure into his books for reading in his spare time. One such book was the "The Adventures of the Cyan Lynx", which was a collection of the adventures of one Gabriel Thompson during his adventures on the high seas as a pirate and adventurer. While it was written by human hands, it quickly came to be one of the elf's favored stories. Taking notice of these distractions upon his studies, his father began to worry his son might be losing focus. In an attempt to route this, his called upon the help of his brother, Vesryn Everdawn, to oversee the young mage's training. Vesryn proved to be a strict teacher, refusing to let the boy so much as go outside or read anything not closely inspected for its merits. The lessons proved harsh. There were days he had trouble grasping certain spells and would not be allowed lunch until he did. Other nights dinner was missed until he finished reading to a certain page in his books and recited its contents to ensure understanding. The years passed and while the lazy days of his youth became little more than a past dream of childish summers, Leo'ren grew into a young man and was becoming more than even his father had expected. With the marriage of his son on the rise to the daughter of House Sunleaf, and finding himself pleased by his son's progress, Faedryn confided in him a secret only the heads of House Everdawn were privy to: The secret vault beneath the mansion and its contents therein. Even being told of the importance of the secrecy, Leo'ren accidentally shared the knowledge with that of his longtime instructor and uncle, Vesryn. That would prove to be a fatal mistake as betrayal was rendered by his own uncle. In a single night, Gabriel lost his mother, father, and siblings. While most of his family had been slain by shadows unknown while sleeping in their beds, his sister, Lillae, was killed trying to protect him. The scars upon his right cheek were given that night when a beast of unknown origin was summoned before him by his own uncle. Even paralyzed with the fear and trauma he had just been subjected to, Leo'ren found a way to escape, holding onto the last words of his sister which were to save himself. Even freeing himself from the clutches of his uncle, he watched behind him as the place he had called home for so many years was torched to cover up the deeds of that night. Named for Murder With nowhere else to go, and recovering from the shock of what he had just witnessed, he sought out the woman who was not only a childhood friend, but whom was to someday be his wife, Belindea Sunleaf. She informed him of the claim on his head for the murder of his family. The fact his body was not uncovered at the remains of the mansion had left him as a suspect. This increased evermore by the claims of his uncle to back it up, speaking of unstable behavior prior to the incident in the courts. It became apparent even venturing to Silvermoon city would be unwise, lest his face be recognized and he be falsely accused. Until a plan could be formed, for some months he hid out in an abandoned cabin on the outskirts of Sunleaf lands. The only person to know of his whereabouts was Belindea, who ensured he had enough food and was his informant of what was going on outside. With the death of his father, and Leo'ren named for murder, his uncle had taken over the House Everdawn. This did not sit well with him, and regardless of her caution, he made an effort to seek more allies. The first he approached was another friend from childhood; Keryth Dawnspear. Keryth, though surprised to see his old friend alive, agreed to assist him and together a plan was made. However, as history repeats itself, this too proved to be a grave mistake on the young man's part. He returned back to the cabin in time to witness the death of his beloved at the hands of Vesryn when she refused to give up his whereabouts. Wracked with grief once more, he fled the lands of Sunleaf and traveled further south before ending up in the port town of Azurewind off the western coast of Quel'thalas. It was a bustling town heavy in the trading of exported goods and the like. For him, it seemed like the perfect place to get himself lost in. Shedding his given name, he took on a new identity of that of Gabriel Shadowdrake and quickly sought work as a laborer on the docks in order to blend in. For some years, it seemed like it would be a good enough life for him, but even with his secret remaining unknown to those he shared a mug of ale with, concern still weighed heavily upon his mind. It was when rumors began to reach his ears decades later of a bounty having been put out for the murderer of the Everdawn house and daughter of Sunleaf, that those concerns drew him into action. Feeling himself no longer safe amongst the people of Azurewind, he stowed away on one of the vessels in the port, hoping to escape Quel'thalas lands and make a new life across the sea. The Cursed Revenge Unbeknowest to him, the ship he had stowed away on was no mere merchant vessel, but The Cursed Revenge, ship of the dread pirate Captain Blackjack. Whilest hiding among the cargo, he was discovered by a crewmmber by the name of Taliori Dewblossom and quickly brought above to the Captain and crew. Rather than toss him overboard to feed the sharks, the Captain took some amount of 'pity' on the man. After forcing him to spend the next few days in a cramped box to get him situated, he became the crew's dog to kick about and mop up after them. The work was hard, and not gratifying in the least but the man eventually picked up the habits of the crew and began to adapt. Though he was adept at the arcane, he carefully hid it from the crew and learned to pick up a blade and fight. Throughout the years and decades on board the vessel, Gabriel found his place and began to rise in the ranks of the crew. Eventually, he was named first mate after the previous had met an unfortunate end. By this time, gone was the good mannered noble he had once been, as now the carefree life of a pirate was fully embraced. Life might have continued on this way for him until a fateful encounter when the crew had docked at a port near Quel'thalas. The Shadowed Eye While visiting the local tavern, Gabriel was recognized by a familiar face. Aelrinde Starwhisper, a longtime servant of House Everdawn and one who had been known as loyal to his father's name happened to be in the same vicinity. Even though Gabriel’s years of growth had changed his appearance, the servant recognized him quickly and showed relief in his survival. And while living his life amongst pirates for decades had hardened him, Gabriel still found comfort in seeing an old face. Word was given to him that his younger sister, Sariandi Everdawn, had survived the night of the murder of the Everdawns unbeknownst to even his murderous uncle. The hope of this was too much for him to believe. Rather than thinking it through, he quickly agreed to follow the man to meet with her. What he found, instead, was a trap laid for him. Finding himself outnumbered, he was quickly taken against his will and rendered unconscious. When he awakened, he found himself to be shackled in a dank cell with the last person he had ever wanted to see standing over him: Vesryn. Through his uncle's gloating, he learned about The Shadowed Eye; an age old cult of underground warlocks whose goals are to increase their powers by any means necessary, even if it means sacrificing the lives of others. It was this particular group which assisted Vesryn in the murder of his family so many decades ago, and the explanation for the horrors he had witnessed summoned that night. Rather than put him to death, which might have been the more merciful choice, Gabriel became a lab rat of the cult's 'research' and was subjected to two years of twisted and agonizing experimentation. Though he suffered the embrace of death many times within that span, its grasp would not hold and he continued to be called back to resume the endless nightmares. In time, the extreme use of experimental magics used upon his body began to twist and warp it until it could no longer sustain its own magical essence and began to reject all forms of magic used upon it. Gabriel discovered this one night when he was alone in his cell after a brutal day of experimentation. No longer could he hear the sounds of the leyline, nor feel the bristle of magic in the air. Silence and numbness overcame him. Even not realizing the full extent of the damage wrought upon him, and though his strength sapped from the day, he tested the bars of his cage and found the electrocuting energy which pulsed through them had no effect upon him. With this knowledge in mind, he managed to smash the door open with the last of his strength and escape. All in his path who tried to contain him were beaten with his bare hands by the strength of his fury. Only after escaping did he come to realize what he was now. Magic, manipulative magic more specifically, could not penetrate his being and was resisted like his own personal shield. The damage extended further as his own mana energy was depleted and rejected, with his eyes reflecting this and showing a dull grey rather than the energy they once contained. While this meant he could not be affected by curses or such damaging spells, it also meant magic such as holy could no longer repair his body if it became damaged. Even with this in mind, his thoughts would not waver from that of revenge. Once he had managed to recover and gather his strength, he began to take on life as a mercenary while also plotting the murders of not only his uncle but that of his line. One by one he would hunt them and slay them where they might be, whether in their own beds, or out in daylight. The deaths of Vesryn's children began to spawn rumors of a curse hanging over that of Everdawn and perhaps the ghost of the Everdawn murderer was still out for the souls of its line. When the last of Vesryn's bloodline met their end, Gabriel then came for his uncle. In the dead of night, he slipped past the guards posted and blended into the shadows until he found the bedroom of the man he despised. While heated words were said, it would be the end of the treacherous Lord Vesryn, having been found the next morning in his bed with his throat slit. Even with the death of his uncle, it would not sedate Gabriel's thirst for revenge and he then began to track down each and every one who had betrayed him. Even to this day, he still hunts down the members of the Shadowed Eye for their part in the tragedies upon his life. The rumors of Everdawn being a haunted and cursed house continued even when his other uncle, Taeral Everdawn, took over as its head. The Captain & the Parrot Sometime later, Gabriel would come upon the Captain again, now being known as Vaelrin Firestorm. In his absence during the events of the Cataclysm wrought by Deathwing, the Cursed Revenge had ended up smashed upon rocks while out at sea. Most of the crew had drown, but fortunately a lucky few had survived, including the Captain. Events which transpired after had lead the Captain to The Sunguard, a private militia tasked with the defense of Quel'thalas. Despite the Captain's request, Gabriel found himself with no interest in the military life. Instead, a contract was struck between the pair for Gabriel to become his second hand like before and deal with tasks which needed to be done outside the Sunguard. Though his aim was to keep his involvement in regards to the Captain on the down-low, that soon changed when he met with a certain pathfinder by the name of Esme Sunshard. Due to her suspicious nature, she constantly pursued him with questions, feeling a determination to find out exactly who he was. Due to this relentless questioning for answers he refused to give, he adopted calling her a 'parrot' to reflect this. Even with a command from the Captain to stay separated from each other, somehow the pair always seemed to run into the other and continue their squabble. With his presence becoming ever more known among the Sunguard due to this, he could no longer hide in the Captain's shadow and became a more known face amongst them. Though an oath has still never been taken and fealty never sworn, he remains at the Captain's side when needed. Current Events While his prime objective is to hunt down the members of The Shadowed Eye, he also serves as the Cursed Revenge's first mate and ensures the ship is running smoothly in the Captain's absence. Personality Brash and rough around the edges, he is a hard man to get to know. He prefers to keep other's at a distance, but there are a few who have weathered his storms and whom he has allowed himself to be a little more open with. Fighting & Weaponry While at one point he was a mage with knowledge around spellwork, following the Shadowed Eye he lost his ability to conjure magic. When aboard the Cursed Revenge, he learned his way around a blade and since grew accustomed to fighting with them. The more prominent of his weapons are the twin blades often seen strapped to his back. A prize looted during his days of piracy, they were rumored to be cursed blades due to their blackened steel and superstitious myth, but have since served him well. Even after his days locked away, they found their way back to his hands during his escape. Amid his other weapons include a pair of daggers at his belt, (A short dagger with another longer one at the side) and a concealed dagger at his thigh. Following the days at the hands of the Shadow Eyed, he also learned the art of brewing poisons and added them to his blades' bite. 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